My father just sent me a link to a NYTimes piece called “What’s the Buzz? Rowdy Teenagers Don’t Want to Hear It” that totally cracked me up. Here’s the key concept:
Mr. Stapleton has taken the lesson he learned that day - that children can hear sounds at higher frequencies than adults can - to fashion a novel device that he hopes will provide a solution to the eternal problem of obstreperous teenagers who hang around outside stores and cause trouble. The device, called the Mosquito (“It’s small and annoying,” Mr. Stapleton said), emits a high-frequency pulsing sound that, he says, can be heard by most people younger than 20 and almost no one older than 30. The sound is designed to so irritate young people that after several minutes, they cannot stand it and go away.
Oh, I so want a room-sized version of this. Wouldn’t it be lovely to have a room that kids couldn’t stand to go into, but grownups could sit in and relax? Or to turn this on in my office at RIT when I’m willing to talk to colleagues but not students? The possibilities are endless…
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Hmm, I really don't find that amusing... and it brings up a lot of questions about ethics and discrimination...
:D
I knew if I posted this I'd offend people. Honestly, though, I think anyone parenting children old enough to talk would find the idea of a room that they couldn't stand to enter pretty entertaining. The bit about having it in my office was completely facetious.
On the reverse side, is it discriminatory if a store plays loud rock music? That can have just as strong an effect on the reverse target population. There are some stores that my kids want to pull me into that make my head want to explode.
I love kids as much as anyone but there are times when you really want to be with adults.
People have been using music and other sounds to move people one way or another for years. I knew a food service manager who would play the William Tell Overture in the cafateria when people were eating too slowly and they wanted to clean up for the next meal.
I'd be all for it if I wasn't part of the "almost" in the "everyone over 30" group.I hear those higher frequencies and already often have to leave rooms or shut off electronics because they're emitting stuff in this range.
You have a point mom, but the rock music wasn't DESIGNED to drive away parents. I agree with Ted on this one, it seems this is another adult device, convincing them that kids aren't worth it. If people stop having kids, then the human race could slowly break down into nothing. Plus, it's just not fair to kids who love their parents and want to spend time with them. Let me give an example:
Johnny: Mommy, you work every day but today. Can I spend some time with you?
Mom: *Turns on Mosquito* Go away, I want some time on my own.
Johnny: Mom, you have a cubicle. You're always alone.
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